This invention relates to an aerodynamically shaped travel awning which in its closed position fits flush against the recreational vehicle and which in its open position is planar and provides conventional awning protection against sunlight and precipitation. In the manufacture of such an awning, it becomes necessary not only to mount the awning pivotally at its lateral portions, but it is also necessary to flexibly hinge the awning along its vertical centerline and to provide additional mounting means between that centerline and the travel vehicle. This allows the awning to be flexible at the center, thereby presenting an aerodynamic shape to the exterior of the travel vehicle when closed while enabling the awning to open into an essentially planar shape.
With the onset of national concern over the conservation of petroleum based fuels, many different problems have been evaluated by those skilled in the motor vehicle art. Such problems are generally especially acute for large over-the-road vehicles which present a large cross-section to the direction of travel. While streamlining or providing a contour designed to minimize resistance to motion is conventionally known in the design of recreational motor vehicles, it has not hitherto been possible to provide a streamlined configuration for the front and rear windows of such a vehicle while also providing flush fitting planar awning protection for those windows.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an awning of aerodynamic shape which, in its downward closed position fits in a flush manner into the streamlined configuration containing windows at the front or rear of a travel vehicle, and which in its upward raised position provides planar awning protection for said windows, the awning being fixedly attached to the travel vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide aerodynamically streamlined protection for a sttreamlined window configuration installed at either the front or rear of a recreational motor vehicle, such protection being against rocks and other debris thrown up from the highway, and from the moisture and dirt associated with high speed over-the-road travel.